Travel Channel Partners with the National Park Foundation To Celebrate America’s National Parks as Part of the Network’s “Destination Summer” Initiative

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

NPF news

Travel Channel, the preeminent travel brand in the media landscape, will join with the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official charity of America’s national parks, in a summer-long campaign to promote America’s 397 national parks. The primary goal of this alliance is to motivate support of our national parks by inspiring Travel Channel viewers to visit these adventure-packed and history-rich destinations as well encourage volunteerism and monetary donations to NPF.

Travel Channel will support the NPF partnership via a myriad of on- and off-air initiatives positioned under the Network’s “Destination Summer” campaign. Beginning Memorial Day and continuing through September, the Network will feature 30 hours of programming that puts the spotlight on America’s national parks. In addition, on Saturday, June 9, Travel Channel will celebrate “Get Outdoors Day” with an on-air and online marketing campaign showcasing the national parks through exclusive videos, slideshows and feature articles. The Network will also post exclusive, national park-related content on its Facebook, Foursquare, Pinterest and other social media platforms. NPF will cross-promote these efforts on its website and social media platforms.

“Through this Summer partnership, the National Park Foundation and Travel Channel, will provide the Network’s passionate viewers with the best tools and information to plan the perfect national park adventures,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Together, we will also highlight the most effective ways we all can support and preserve these incredible places to ensure they remain one of the most engaging travel destinations for generations to come.”

Travel Channel’s programming campaign spotlighting America’s national parks will kick off on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, with numerous series and specials including: a “Get Outdoors” stack of programming that includes back-to-back episodes of “Best Parks Ever” which features iconic national parks including Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier, Great Smoky Mountains and Zion; and “Glamping,” which showcases glamorous camping in the wild. Other summer programming supporting the NPF partnership includes “Park Secrets,” the series that gives viewers everything they need to know to turn from tourist to traveler in America’s parks; and “Alaska Unleashed,” a one-hour special highlighting the best and most extreme adventures in Alaska.

“Travel and tourism are big drivers of the U.S. economy, and this is one important way Travel Channel can make a very positive impact,” said Laureen Ong, President of Travel Channel. “We know our viewers are ready to lean in and experience life, and this partnership with the National Park Foundation will touch consumers on a very personal level, encouraging them to explore and appreciate the best destinations America has to offer.”

A 2012 study by MMGY Global and the U.S. Travel Association found that television programming about U.S. destinations encourages domestic travel. Specifically, 61 percent of Travel Channel viewers reported conducting research to find out more about a U.S. destination featured in a TV program. Moreover, 39 percent of Travel Channel viewers said they are more likely to visit a U.S. destination after viewing a TV program on the topic.

Chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1967, NPF is founded on a legacy that began more than a century ago, when private citizens from all walks of life took action to establish and protect our national parks. Today, the foundation carries on that tradition as the only national nonprofit whose sole mission is to directly support the National Park Service.

Travel Channel is one of six popular television brands within the Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI) lifestyle media portfolio, which also includes Food Network and HGTV. SNI is committed to its corporate social responsibility program, serving as a positive force for change by focusing on one meal, one home and one community at a time through its Change the World initiatives. Travel Channel’s robust summer-long partnership with the National Park Foundation builds on more than $2.5 million in support that SNI has given to the Friends of the Smokies organization over the past several years to help protect and preserve the Great Smoky Mountains National Park located near SNI headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn. To learn more about all of SNI’s corporate social responsibility efforts, visit snichangetheworld.com.

TRAVEL CHANNELA multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it's around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world’s leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, MD, and New York, NY. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.

NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

You are the owner of 84 million acres of the world’s most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historic sites -- all protected in America’s nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow.